Forum Topic

Ealing Road junction - Beware!

Just observed a minor prang at the junction of Ealing Road and Brentford High St.It seems Kew bound traffic and Ealing Road traffic both have green lights at the same time.Stood with the two motorists and observed this does appear to occur this evening.It only converges for a few seconds but that it seems id enough to put vehicles in the wrong place.One driver called TfL and they apparently already know about the problem.It would help if road users knew too!

Michael Brandt ● 5268d7 Comments

This happened to me a few weeks ago and also when turning right towards Brentford from Ealing road - at the time I dismissed it as people jumping the lights!The other place this has happened to me is when travelling West on the A4 at this junction
View Larger Map- the cars joining from the right seem to continue exiting their part of the junction well after the lights are green on the A4.

Sarah Felstead ● 5266d

Have had a very informed email that indicates that the matter is being seriously looked into and hopefully be resolved as a matter of priority.All the same probably prudent to be extra careful at the junction for the time being

Michael Brandt ● 5266d

I'd agree with the analysis.I've made the mistake once , moving straight off on the push-bike towards Kew Bridge when the left arrow filter light on the road island pole turned green. And on Tuesday morning, I was approaching the advanced stop line area as the same light turned green and the van on the outside of me started off and nearly collided with a left-turning car from Ealing Road.Is it necessary to repeat the left-filter light on the pole in the central traffic island ?

Tim Henderson ● 5268d

There are people at TfL who get a not insignificant salary to do exactly this and given the apparent cost of this junction modification one would expect them to include getting it right in the price.However I think the long term problem lay also in the design of the equipment.Filter lights used to have a larger than standard display head with a large arrow and later versions of the same also had a much brighter and clearer Illuminated arrow.Now they are reduced to a standard size and the arrows are bright but less pronounced.With LED technology I am surprised that we do not have the capability (in this case)to have the left flash amber for a while and then flash green whilst the through light is still red.This would be a clear differential indication. Again I don't know why we do not have low height repeater signals like in france so that cars and cyclists close to the lights can see them as well as the road field of view.Other countries are taking the initiative with this sort of stuff but we seem to be stuck when it comes to innovation especially when it's simple.

Michael Brandt ● 5268d

A month ago I wrote the following to CCF at Hounslow:Traffic lights - Ealing Road, Brentford High StreetFacing east:Previous to the redesign, both the left turning traffic and the straight ahead traffic moved away together and this has been engraved in our memories over several years, and to an extent this will pan out as we 're-wire' our perception and memory.  But there is a problem with perception.  The right hand of the two left filter lights is alongside the straight-ahead light and when it turns green it is in the position that would be expected of a straight ahead (or ordinary) green light.  And a significant proportion of people start to move forward, realise their error (usually) and stop until the straight-ahead light turns green.  They are not being careless in the usual sense or impatient.  A system which a significant proportion of people misread is not unambiguous and it should be.  I cannot recall seeing this phenomenon at any other sets of lights.  Assuming that there has to be a second left filter light, it should be located well to the left of the straight ahead light in order to not be read, even briefly, as a straight ahead light.I have observed a number of consecutive sequences of these lights, and photographed and filmed  them.  These perfectly illustrate my analysis above.A suggestion:  Get someone to record, as I did, an hour's worth (say) of data at the junctionCover the right hand left filter lightRepeat the recording exerciseRemove the coverRepeat the recording exerciseI would expect no instances of light-jumping in the lamp covered period, but would expect there to be a significant number of instances with the existing set-up.

David Biles ● 5268d

We think it's a malfunction that is occurring as it seems to happen every 2 or 3 cycles. You are also right that some drivers are also reading the wrong signal for Kew bound traffic, that's been apparent for some weeks.

Michael Brandt ● 5268d

As far as I'm aware, Kew bound traffic and Ealing Road traffic don't have green lights at the same time, the green light for traffic coming along the High Street out of Brentford town centre (at the same time as the green light is on for those joining the junction from Ealing Road) is only for traffic turning left into Ealing Road.I have however witnessed several Kew bound drivers make 'false starts' before realising the green light is only for left turning traffic.

Adam Beamish ● 5268d